


First Year

by Myvoice



Series: The Marauder's Tale [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon-Typical High Jinks, Marauders era, Multi, first year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-07-27 08:30:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20043004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myvoice/pseuds/Myvoice
Summary: Four boys come together in Hogwarts and form a strong bond, one that should have lasted for longer than it did. We all know how it ends, this is how it started.James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter find themselves sharing a dormitory. For the first time they are away from their parents and (almost) free to do as they please. Their first year at Hogwarts promised to be interesting but none of the boys thought it would be quite like this.





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four little boys and a little girl get excellent news, some expected, some unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a million people to thank, most of all my dad who is as much a Potterhead as anyone and helped me flesh out some of the less explored characters. I haven't had permission from anyone who helped to link back to their blog or ao3 accounts but if/when I do, I'll be sure to credit them.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this!

The day was ending as it had begun overcast and in that lazy way in which Sundays usually do. The winter was just starting to recede, and an adventurous soul could venture outside without fearing immediate regret and prompt frostbite. Remus Lupin was such an adventurous soul and after finishing his chores and schoolwork —and after his mother was done fussing about his lack of layering— he made his way to the garden, he just wanted to get away from the house, it was always like this on the week before the full moon. Not even the thought or preparations for his upcoming birthday were enough to dissolve the thick sludge that passed for an atmosphere in his parents' house.

They would have to move again soon, Remus could tell from the fact that his mother refused to let him out of his sight (even now he had to stay within view of the living room window) and his father's almost frantic search for accommodation in the Daily Prophet. It wasn't easy but Remus had already learnt to distinguish between the usual pre-full-moon anxiety and the usual though infrequent _we're moving soon_ anxiety: he found it was all in the way his mother looked at him. As the full moon approached his mother would look at him with tender anxiety, both the tenderness and anxiety would be directed at him whereas when the time approached to move again, his mother would look at him with a sort of sad anxiety, sadness of his condition and anxiety with regards to their future home and what it would bring. They would probably wait for at least a week, after his birthday and after at least three days of recovering from the full moon that would appear in the sky just two days after he turned eleven.

As the sun fell over the house, Remus picked himself up from where he had been taking in the sights and slowly made his way back inside. He looked almost like any other ten-year-old, he was a little tall for his age and if you ignored the curious fresh-looking scars on his calf and the fact that he looked as though he was permanently recovering from a cold, he looked perfectly normal. However, nobody seemed to want to ignore either and those were the signs that drew the attention and curiosity of his neighbours. Muggle or magical, they always seemed to notice that there was something off about him, the muggles always put it to his mother's lack of care (which was ridiculous) and the wizards tended to believe that he was perhaps a little slow and a squib (and in consequence thought ill of his father for hiding him and obviously beating him at least once a month). Whatever the neighbours thought there always a day when the attention and curiosity got too intrusive or when the neighbours started putting two and two together and began approaching the real reason for Remus' monthly disappearance, in the end they moved, usually in the dead of night and always without much warning. 

He was shaken from this chain of thought when his father shot out of the house, wand on hand and his mother following close by. ‘Remus! Hide!’ Remus had never seen his father look so fierce and he obeyed the command immediately. They had talked about this many times, he was to go hide in the basement where he would be protected by his father's enchantments until they were able to return for him. He was dutifully hurrying into the house when he literally ran into a very tall, thin man. Firm arms caught him to stop his fall and he was just starting to resist when he recognised the man: Albus Dumbledore. This shook him deeply as did the kind eyes that regarded him from behind the half-moon spectacles.

‘Ah! You must be young Remus Lupin.’ Dumbledore's voice was calm, entirely unconcerned by the fact that both of Remus' parents had just shot out of the house in search, no doubt, of a threat. ‘Would you mind if I sit?’ Remus opened his mouth to reply and then closed it. To run or not to run. Follow his father's command and accept that he might be in danger, or follow his mother's insistence that he was nothing if he was not polite?

‘Yes. Uh... Yes, of course.’ He guided the old wizard through to the living room. ‘Crumpets?’ He asked, offering the plate that his mother had set out for their tea just as Dumbledore lit a fire with a flick of his wand. ‘M-my parents just left... I...’ he was unable to look away from the flickering fire or to really figure out what he was supposed to do now.

Remus stood before Dumbledore, unsure of why he wasn't scared of the old wizard, after all Remus was a werewolf and Dumbledore a member of the Wizengamot, he might be there to arrest him or... something. The problem was that Dumbledore had given no sign of hostility, in fact the only reason why Remus considered being scared was that both his parents had shot out of the house a second before Dumbledore appeared. He also doubted that the Ministry of Magic would send the world's greatest wizard after a ten-year-old werewolf. He cocked his head to the side and in a bid to do something other than stare at the old wizard he said the first thing that came to his mind.

‘Gobstones?’ Dumbledore's lips drew into a small smile and his eyes twinkled.

‘Yes, I think I would enjoy a game. It's been years since I was invited to play: no doubt one of the downsides of being old and respectable,’ he said with a wink. Remus thought that the lack of invitations had more to do with the fact that he was _Albus Dumbledore_ than with age but didn't say anything, instead he fought to keep a blush from spreading. This was ridiculous, he was _not_ playing gobstones with _Albus Dumbledore_.

He knelt on the floor and was just drawing the required circle when his parents burst into the room. He saw his dad lower his wand when he saw Dumbledore while his mother rushed to his side, intent on checking that he had not been harmed in any way. There was a beat of silence, as though the adults in the room were having a silent conversation and what was said with looks and twitches took a long time to be digested.

‘I'm sorry to barge in but this was the only way I could make sure that I would be able to say my piece without _any_ of us resorting to magic. My dear, Lyall, lower your wand, let us sit.’ Dumbledore turned to Hope and offered her a smile. ‘I don't believe we have met; I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts.’ Hope nodded and, looking from her husband to Professor Dumbledore, she made the executive decision to defuse the situation.

‘Hope Lupin.’ She stood between Dumbledore and Remus, shielding her little boy from view. ‘A pleasure. My husband,’ she shot a look at Lyall who had already lowered his wand and was thinking of how to best handle a situation that could have far reaching consequences, ‘has spoken very highly of you.’ She now turned to look at Dumbledore, defiant, almost daring him to do anything that would contradict Lyall's high opinion. ‘Do sit.’

‘Thank you.’ The Headmaster sat down and with a flick of his wand, tea materialised in the hands of everyone present. ‘You're rightly wondering what made me so uncouthly break into your house.’ He nodded at both parents. ‘I have come to extend my invitation to young Remus to join us at Hogwarts next term.’

* * *

It was just as Sev had promised: a letter had arrived by muggle post informing her parents that a Professor McGonagall was going to be visiting them to tell them all about the school to which Lily had been accepted. Lily had tried to explain it to them, to repeat everything that Sev had said but they blamed it on her overactive imagination and when she turned to Petunia for backup she played dumb and simply said that she didn't think Lily should hang out with Severus any more. It was frustrating but when the date came when Professor McGonagall was due to arrive, her parents were dutifully waiting for her with tea and scones, after all, who wouldn't want to give their child a good schooling opportunity?

Professor McGonagall arrived at five on the dot, the stern-looking woman was dressed in a very smart tartan frock and didn't look anything like Lily had imagined. She had been expecting a witch after all and this woman looked more like a mean head teacher than what Sev had described. McGonagall was not a woman to be trifled with and that be and that became apparent the moment she appeared at the door.

Lily's parents showed her inside, the letter they had received made it clear that there was much to talk about and Lily's parents were curious to know how this new school had heard of their daughter. Of course, they knew that Lily was very smart but after inquiring at Lily's prep school they had been told that no external observers from Hogwarts had ever taken part in their recruitment programs. Besides, eleven was an unusual age to star recruiting for a boarding school. After the pleasantries were done and everyone had a cup of tea in front of them, Professor McGonagall spoke.

‘You will no doubt be curious about why I am here.’ Lily had decided to remain quiet and let the Professor speak, after all her parents had not believed her when she told them she was a witch and she was sure that McGonagall would be able to convince them. ‘Your daughter is very special and she has been shown to have the abilities required for entrance to our school. As deputy Headmistress, it is my task to explain the ins-and-outs so let me begin by saying that your daughter is a witch.’

Mr and Mrs Evans turned to look at their daughter at the same time, wondering how she had managed to convince an adult of repeating the same thing she had been saying for the last week or so. They looked at her in confusion, they soon came to realise that there was no way in which Lily could pull off a prank like this so they returned to look at McGonagall as though expecting her to start cackling and sprout a few warts.

‘A witch?’ Mrs Evans asked. ‘What exactly do you mean?’

‘Your daughter can do magic. At this stage I expect that you have been able to dismiss displays of magic as oddities or particular talents. She will have displayed magic in moments of intense emotion like fright or shame.’

‘I don't fall when I leap off the swings, mum, I _land. _You've seen it,’ Lily ventured, voice quiet, shaking a little. ‘And Tuney has seen me play with the flowers, they-they open in the palm of my hand. I can show you!’

‘That will not be necessary, thank you Miss Evans.’ Lily retreated into her seat, wondering if Sev had been wrong after all and she _could_ be arrested for doing magic even though she still hadn't been trained.

‘But that's... That's luck, isn't it? She's agile! She's a gymnast after all! Best in the county!’ Mr Evans explained, still not understanding what on earth was going on.

‘I assure you, Mr Evans, it is not luck. I've no doubt your daughter is a talented gymnast but she's been helped by her magic. The fact that she is already able to control some of her powers tells me that she is a talented witch and she will no doubt thrive at Hogwarts.’

‘Hang on. You're telling me that my daughter is a witch and you want to take her away to a school nobody has ever heard about? This is insane, it sounds like you want to induct her to a cult!’ Mr Evans stood up as he said this. ‘We've never heard of such a thing!’

‘Please, Mr Evans, sit down. It is not a cult; the magical community remains secret for the protection of the non-magic folk. We have several laws that govern magical behaviour so it is not strange that you have heard nothing about this. With your permission, I can demonstrate that my claims are one hundred percent real.’

Professor McGonagall was now looking at Mrs Evans who seemed to have kept her head better than her husband. Slowly Mrs Evans nodded and Professor McGonagall pulled out a wand. Mr Evans looked at her with distrust and moved to partially shield his daughter. McGonagall tapped her wand on the edge of her empty teacup and on the third tap it turned into the most fragrant red rose either Evans had ever seen, the smell filled their nostrils. Everyone gasped, even Lily brought her hands to her mouth. Without further ado, McGonagall tapped the rose again and it returned to its previous state, leaving only the smell behind. There was a moment of silence while everyone processed what had just happened.

‘B-but how?’ Mrs Evans asked. ‘W-we're normal. I...’ McGonagall put away her wand and looked at Mrs Evans sternly.

‘There is nothing abnormal about your daughter, we are not sure of how this happens but there is a chance that one of your ancestors was from a magical family and the powers had failed to present until now. Miss Evans was accepted into the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world the moment she was born.’

‘But where will you take her? How... I don't think... She's eleven for goodness sake!’ Mr Evans was still not quite over the shock, the smell of the rose lingered still and he kept looking between McGonagall and Lily, wondering exactly how this had happened.

‘Allow me to show you.’ McGonagall waved her wand again and a very old-looking projector appeared out of thin air, she tapped it and after a few clicks a film was projected on the wall across from Mr and Mrs Evans.

There was no sound at the beginning, only the clicks of the projector as it worked. The film showed a beautiful castle, lakes and mountains surrounded it, the skies looked clear and beautiful. As the camera zoomed in a gentle voice started speaking. ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry offers the best magical education on offer; subjects are taught by highly specialized teachers.’ The film now showed a classroom filled with children and Professor McGonagall pointing at a complex diagram. ‘Hogwarts has won the International Student Welfare Price eight times owing to the personalized attention each child gets throughout their stay.’ What looked like student rooms were now the focus of the film, each showing comfortable chairs by the fire, then the camera moved outward again. ‘The school also offers a variety of extracurricular opportunities such as the Chess society of Hogwarts Students.’ It now showed a hall with kids of every age playing chess. ‘Which has produced the last five chess world champions.’ There was now a shot of an enormous hall with five tables, all decorated for Halloween, then the same hall decorated for Christmas. ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the place were young witches and wizards find their passions and become the best they can be, student welfare is our focus and our excellent teachers will always make sure that your child will be prepared to face the challenges of the future.’ The film ended with a shot of children celebrating and throwing their hats in the air.

When the film concluded, McGonagall tapped the projector again and it disappeared. She turned to look at the Evans family, they all looked enchanted, Lily looked especially excited. She now produced a letter and handed it to Lily, who took it with shaking hands, trying to suppress her excitement.

‘The school term begins on the first of September; inside that letter you will find instructions to buy her material as well as access the train station that will take her to Hogwarts.’ McGonagall turned to Lily. ‘We look forward to seeing you there, Miss Evans.’ Lily grinned and the professor returned the smile.

‘Can I go?’ Lily asked, clutching the letter to her chest.

‘Well... Well of course you can!’ Mrs Evan recovered first. ‘It looks wonderful. I- We always knew you were special, princess. This... Well... Thomas?’

‘Alright. Alright. It's... It's fine... I...’ Mr Evans struggled for words, having now accepted that magic existed his mind now turned to more practical matters. ‘How... How much will it cost, we had money set aside for her schooling but--’

‘The cost is covered by the Ministry of Magic, you will only need to cover the cost of her books, materials and uniforms.’

‘Right! Well, that's good. And where will we find that?’

‘I assure you it is all explained in detail in Miss Evans' letter. I must ask you for the utmost discretion, it is imperative that nobody outside the magical community knows about any of this.’

‘I understand.’

‘Professor?’ Lily asked softly. ‘Can I tell Severus? He's a wizard, lives down by Spinners End... He's my friend. He told me about all of this.’

‘If he is a wizard, I don't see the harm in telling him but nobody else outside your immediate family.’

‘Professor?’

‘Yes, Miss Evans?’

‘Can Tuney come too?’ McGonagall looked at her curiously. ‘She's my sister. She's a good student and I'm sure she could learn; I'll teach her everything I know!’ The Professor smiled compassionately.

‘Your sister has no powers, Miss Evans, and as such she cannot go to Hogwarts, you could teach her everything you know and she would still be unable to perform even the simplest of spells.’ Lily bit her lip and McGonagall turned to Mr Evans. ‘I take it you have accepted our invitation?’

‘Yes... I won't lie, this is... unusual at best but... Well it's true, isn't it?’ He turned to his wife. ‘We've always known that our Lily was special...’

‘Excellent, I shall let the Headmaster know.’ McGonagall stood up and everyone followed her. ‘I know you will need time to get used to the idea and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to write.’ She handed them a card. ‘Professor Dumbledore or I will always be available.’

After inviting McGonagall to stay for dinner two or three times, Lily's parents showed her to the door and said goodbye. Lily wanted to go and tell Sev everything immediately but it was getting dark and her parents wouldn't let her go. She'd have to be content with reading and re-reading the letter and memorising the instructions to get to Diagon Alley and... Platform 93/4? She had a lot to learn...

* * *

It was just after dawn and the house was completely still, silvery winter sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and a young boy in his bed was dutifully pretending to still be asleep. It was his birthday and staying still was no mean feat but he knew that any moment now his parents would sneak into his room to sing him awake with 'happy birthday'. The reason he was pretending to sleep was that he found that his parents felt happier if they thought they had _actually _woken him up with their singing. Like so many well-loved children, James Potter had already taken it onto himself to protect his parents' innocence.

A step creaked in the distance and James nearly jumped at the sound, unable to contain a shiver of excitement, he adjusted his position and concentrated on looking how he imagined he looked while he was sleeping. His door creaked open and James only had to wait for a moment before his parents started singing in hushed voices. James pretended to groggily sit up and only when he was sure it was believable; he allowed a gigantic grin to spread across his face. The song ended and both Euphemia and Fleamont Potter clapped.

James allowed himself to be kissed and hugged, half of him pretending that he was too old for that kind of thing while the other enjoyed the attention profoundly. ‘There's treacle tart for you downstairs and we can discuss your presents when you come down,’ Mrs Potter said sweetly just as she was leaving the room.

At the mention of his favourite treat James' eyes lit up and he rushed to get dressed and go down. It wasn't long before James was sitting at the table surrounded by his parents and eating treacle tart. There was a small pile of presents across the table from him and James wasn't sure what he was more excited about, the tart or the presents. He felt a small pang of disappointment upon realising that none of the presents were shaped like a broom but he quickly suppressed it. He supposed it made sense that he wasn't given a new broom, his Cleansweep 5 was in good working order and he would not be allowed to take it to Hogwarts, though he had to admit that he would risk smuggling in the new Nimbus...

‘The Altons will be coming later. Their children will come too.’

‘They're hardly children, dad. They've been out Hogwarts for _ages,_’ said James, licking his spoon before reaching out to take another slice. ‘The youngest is twenty!’

‘A child!’ His dad exclaimed, grinning at his son. ‘He will remain a child until he turns thirty-five, at least.’ James rolled his eyes.

‘Presents, James. As soon as you can unstick your mouth,’ Mrs Potter said with a wink.

The first present was from his aunt Lindiwe, a beautiful eagle feather quill with a self-cleaning charm. The second one was rather heavy and it was from one of his father's best friends Phrixus Genov, it turned out to be a set of training Quidditch balls.

‘Look at them!’ James grabbed the parchment with the instructions. ‘The bludgers and snitch have a homing charm!’

‘You'll have to write to Phrixus to thank him, love.’

James almost didn't want to keep opening presents, he doubted anything could be nearly as good as this. Still he kept at it and soon he had unwrapped a wand maintenance kit (from his grandmother), a beautiful edition of _A History of Magic_ (from his Aunt Ophelia) and a hornbill feather quill with disappearing ink (from Noreen Abioye, his mum's best friend). At that point his father handed him a simply wrapped parcel, upon taking it James' eyebrows knitted in confusion: surely his parents had not decided to give him new robes _for his birthday_.

‘Stop looking like we kicked your puppy, James, and open it.’

James wiped the look off his face and pretended instead to be excited. He unwrapped the present quickly and when it was revealed he found that he didn't have to rearrange his features to look excited.

‘But this...’ He looked at his dad, eyes wide. ‘It's your--’

‘It's yours now, James.’

With trembling fingers James pulled out the silvery cloak. It felt almost like a liquid, it was light and incredibly soft, no holes or damage. James looked back up to his father and grinned widely, the invisibility cloak clutched in his hands.

‘Mine? Seriously?’

‘It's been passed down from parent to child for generations. Eleven is a good age to receive it,’ his dad said with a wink. ‘Now, put it on.’

James jumped up and excitedly threw it around his shoulders, his body disappeared and he could not suppress a laugh when he looked down. Without taking it off he threw himself at his dad, hugging him tightly.

‘Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is amazing!’ He was going to have so much fun at Hogwarts with this... He didn't say _that _to his parents though, he didn't want to make them rescind the present.

Mrs Potter had brought down her camera and snapped a picture of the two Potters even though half of James' body was missing. 

‘Now, darling. The party will start at three but we have some time to go pick up your last present,’ said his mother, waving her wand to clear the table of wrappings and dirty dishes.

‘My last present?’ Visions of the newest Nimbus flashed through James' mind. ‘Could it be--’

‘No, no, my darling. I know what it will be I just need you to choose it.’ She looked at her son and as though reading the glint in his eye she shook her head. ‘It's not a broom, James. You couldn't take it with you but I'll make a promise right now: we'll get you a broom if you make your House Team or on your third year. How's that? For now, I thought we'd get you an owl. You'll need it to send all the thank-you notes today and to communicate when you're off to Hogwarts.’

James grinned. ‘Fair enough,’ he said with an invisible shrug. 

‘Well take your stuff to your room and we'll leave right away.’

‘Could we pick up my wand as well?’

‘No, it's tradition. You don't get one until you get your letter.’

‘But we know it's coming!’

‘Yes, dear, we know but it's still traditional to go and get your school stuff after you get the letter. Besides, what do you want it for? You would barely be able to throw sparks with it!’

‘Fine...’

In the end James chose a Northern white-faced owl and named her Isilmë, name he found while he was going through a book in Flourish and Blotts and waiting for his mother to stop talking to an old witch. Back at the house, James helped prepare everything for his party. The guests started arriving promptly at three, most of them were older wizards whose children had already grown up but there were enough children who were closer to James' age to play three-a-side Quidditch.

The only guest who was the same age as James was a girl with curly brown hair, big hazel eyes and rich brown skin: Dorcas Meadowes. Apparently, they had been inseparable when they were little kids but the Meadowes family had to move away for work and they had not seen each other since, as it was, they were only back because Dorcas was due to start Hogwarts that year. James found her to be a little snobbish and Dorcas found him to be extremely annoying but whatever had been there when they were three years old must have remained because by the end of the party they played like no time had passed and even James —who prided himself on being an excellent flyer and was not known for his modesty— had to admit that Dorcas was a very impressive girl, especially when she came at you on a broom.

That night James went to bed, exhausted, overfed and joyous. Visions of him captaining the Gryffindor Quidditch team flooded his brain: he could not wait to get the letter and finally be off to school.

* * *

In the frontier between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley there is a shabby looking building with an antiques shop facing Diagon Alley and an apothecary facing Knocturn Alley, both are managed by the same people. The antiques are sold to the rich and the curious, to those fighting to show their status; the potion ingredients are sold to those who would rather their activities go unnoticed. It is in this building where the Dark Arts manage to coexist with the rest of the wizarding world, it does not fight for dominion but rather feeds off the resentment and despair; in return, this dark world spits out the week and meek to be absorbed (and absolved) by the rest of the wizarding society.

Above these shops are two flats, one that was turned into a warehouse, and the other inhabited by a small family: an only child and his two parents. The family had only been allowed to move in because they were useful, the shops' owner, Caractacus Burke, was always in need of people able to grovel and make the rich clients of the antiques shop feel important. The father ran the apothecary, the mother ran the antiques shop: both actually served the store that hid deep in Knockturn alley. 

There was an air of festive joy that had nothing to do with the only child's birthday but with rather grimmer subjects: a wealthy family line had just ended and, without an heir, their stuff had been auctioned off. The family that lived in the flat, the Pettigrews, had handled the auction in the name of Mr Burke which meant that when it was all said and done they would get a nice reward, the only thing that had been standing between them and said reward was the fact that up until that morning they had failed to place the old family's house elf. That morning his son, Peter, had turned eleven and it was this that gave Mr Pettigrew the idea to place the elf at Hogwarts, after a few owl exchanges the elf had been accepted and it was time to celebrate.

Peter had thought that perhaps, with the extra money, his birthday present might have been a little grander than the second-hand Remembrall his parents had presented him with but he was wrong. As it was, he could at least pretend that the celebration was in his honour. It wasn't that Peter's parents did not care for their son, they did, and if anyone had asked they would have said that everything they did they did for Peter, the reward would allow them to buy the books and robes that Peter needed to make a good impression at Hogwarts. Mr and Mrs Pettigrew were simply busy and they both knew that nobody would ever gift them anything: gifts were things rich people buy for their powerful friends, the only thing the Pettigrews knew was that hard work paid and hard work for powerful friends paid double.

This was such an entrenched belief for the family that it came as quite a shock when old Caractacus Burke himself showed up at their doorstep to give Peter a birthday present. The youngest Pettigrew was quite timid but, in an effort to show his parents that he too could impress powerful people, he stood straight and took the box from old Caractacus' hands.

‘Thank you, sir,’ he intoned. ‘You needn't have bothered.’

‘Oh, but I did.’ The old man smiled toothily. ‘It's not every day that a young man turns eleven. It's an important age, that, you go to Hogwarts, meet people, make _friends_ who will accompany you through your life. Very important, the friends one finds at Hogwarts.’ The old man winked and Peter had the feeling that this was not the way people usually talked about friendship.

‘I'll keep your words in mind, Mr Burke. Thank you.’

‘Well... Open it, boy!’

Peter obeyed and unwrapped the present as calmly as he was able. It was a beautiful new book; the binding was still stiff and the gold lettering on top was clear as day: _The Dark Forces: A guide to self-defence_. Peter held in an excited gasp, he was certain that even with Mr Burke's reward, his parents would not buy him any new books.

‘I do believe the book will prove useful, I have it on good authority that the school list has not changed.’

‘No, it hasn't. Thank you, Mr Burke.’ Peter dragged his eyes away from his _brand-new book_ to bow his head at the old man.

His parents insisted that Mr Burke stayed for the celebration but the old man was busy and had to leave after toasting for the auction they had just closed. Peter could not stop admiring his beautiful new book and even though he was not much for reading or much of a student, he found himself enthralled by it.

‘Mr Burke was very generous,’ Mr Pettigrew said, drawing Peter's attention away from his book. ‘That is exactly why your mother and I continue working for him. He is generous and he rewards his friends accordingly.’

‘Yes, dad.’ Peter thought it had been a present, not a reward but he didn't want to argue with his father.

‘Happy Birthday, Peter.’ Mr Pettigrew managed a smile. ‘I'm sorry it got overshadowed.’

‘No, I know how it is. Best to keep busy, I'm sure Mr Burke was very appreciative.’

‘He was indeed, boy. So much so that we'll be able to buy you a brand-new wand rather than you having to use my dear old brother's.’

Peter's face lit up. Two brand new things, he would not be a total weirdo at Hogwarts and he might yet make his parents proud.

* * *

There wasn't much activity inside the house that hid between numbers eleven and thirteen in Grimmauld Place, the family was not yet awake and the only movement came from the kitchen where an aged domestic elf was making breakfast. Sirius, the eldest child, was laying on his bed; he had been awake for a while now and all that time had been spent staring at the handsome envelope propped up against his bedside lamp. The crest on the wax seal was that of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sirius knew it well and even though he had been excited to see it when the letter had first arrived, he was now dreading what it meant. He wasn't sure why he hadn't immediately told his parents that it had arrived or why he hadn't lorded it over his younger brother but he suspected that it had something to do with the fact that he was the heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and thus, he was the warden of the family name and the holder of all the family's dreams and expectations. Something about the arrival of his Hogwarts letter seemed to herald a time when he would no longer be allowed to run from these responsibilities or even pretend that they were of little consequence to the way he conducted his life.

_Toujours_ _Pur_... What a load of rubbish, surely they could do better than that for a motto. Sirius had many doubts about why exactly his family considered itself —and was considered by others— a 'noble' family. The pure-blood status held little worth beyond the circle his family moved in, regular wizarding society didn't seem to care much about 'purity' or 'nobility', and the fact that they were _very _rich didn't seem to be —in Sirius' view at least— enough of a reason to consider oneself 'noble'. And anyway, they were only rich because the family was _very old, _where was the merit in that? Then again, he thought, it could be the case that his opinions on this matter held little truth and were actually the result of his own insecurities and fear that he might not be able to live up to the name and what it demanded of him.

Sirius rolled onto his back and sighed. He couldn't put it off any longer or his parents would begin to suspect; besides, he had made plans to meet Andromeda today and it might be a good opportunity to go buy his school stuff. He feared that his parents would make a fuss, he hated the idea of hearing them say that 'the heir' was finally off to Hogwarts or that Slytherin would finally welcome the heir of the_ Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_. It made Sirius want to vomit (out of nerves or slight disgust).

Sirius heard his parents go downstairs and finally rolled off the bed to get dressed, he made sure he looked presentable in case either of them was in a combative mood. When he entered the kitchen he nearly laughed: both his parents were dressed to go out, this way he would not have to put up with either of them offering to take him to Diagon Alley.

‘Morning!’ His parents looked at him with concern, it was rare to see him up so early. ‘I got my letter,’ he said by way of explanation.

Walburga was the first to react. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline and she put up an air of disdain. ‘Well it was about time. Your father and I were thinking of sending you to Durmstrang.’ Sirius hid his horror behind a bemused and slightly excited look. ‘It's still an option, darling, we all know Hogwarts is not what it once was. Not with Dumbledore at the helm.’

‘It had occurred to me but...’ He shook his head. ‘No, what would Uncle Phineas say if I were to desert Hogwarts?’

‘Well said, son. We can't deprive Slytherin of the membership of a Black! Even if Durmstrang has a more agreeable admittance policy.’ Orion smiled at his son.

‘I'm meeting Andromeda today, I thought I would kill two doxies with one spell and get my school stuff while I'm there.’ Sirius hoped his mother would not object.

‘That is very nice of her... I'm sorry I can't go with you; I have an auction to get to. I simply cannot miss the opportunity to get my hands on some of the Bloxam family treasures, the family went extinct, you see,’ she said this with some glee. Walburga Black was an avid collector of what she liked to call 'antiquities' and others would call 'very old dark artefacts'.

‘It's alright. Andromeda can handle him for an afternoon.’ His father extended a rattling purse to Sirius. ‘I'll open a side account for your allowance, you will need to start learning how to manage your own money but for now this should tide you over.’

‘Thanks, dad.’ Sirius finally sat down for breakfast, sure that both of his parents would run out in no time at all.

When it was time to meet Andromeda, Sirius practically skipped downstairs. He had told his parents that he would floo over but he was actually going the muggle way. There was something about muggle London that fascinated him, the cars, the motorcycles, the tube lines and stations; it was, as far as he was concerned, cleverer than magic, these people actually had to _invent_ all the substitutes for good old magic. And the music was _excellent_, somehow wizarding music paled in comparison to some of the artists around in the muggle world: there was very little to appreciate in Celestina Warbeck once you heard Aretha Franklin. But all of this Sirius kept secret, his parents would lose their minds if they ever knew that their precious first born had a thing for muggle stuff, the only one who knew was Andromeda who had once caught him in a muggle record shop, now he thought about it, he didn't know what _she_ had been doing _there_...

After taking a small detour into his preferred record shop and listening to some of the latest singles, he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. He met up with his cousin by Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour, as usual she greeted him with a smile (which was one of the reasons she was his favourite) and an ice cream.

They went around Diagon Alley, joking around and getting all the things Sirius would need to start his school year. As they approached Ollivanders, a young man approached them, he was tall with wavy blond hair that curled around his ears, he also had an easy smile and Sirius almost dropped his new books when he took Andromeda by the waist and planted a kiss on her lips.

‘Hey beautiful,’ he said grinning when he pulled back. Andromeda looked tense, shooting Sirius a sideway glance.

‘Hey Ted.’ She stepped back from him as though that might repair the damage that had been done by him _kissing her_ in the middle of the road. ‘Uh, this is my _cousin._’ she shot Ted a warning look. ‘Sirius.’

‘Oh, sorry. I thought you were on your own.’ He looked at Sirius who was looking at him distrustfully. ‘Oh, come on. You don't have to look at me like that!’ The eleven-year-old hesitated, Ted's kind face was making it really hard to glare at him and Sirius simply couldn't find a reason to. He cocked an eyebrow at his cousin who looked frightened. Ted grinned. ‘I'm Ted Tonks.’ He extended his hand and Sirius, after leaving his stuff on the ground, extended his own.

‘Sirius Black.’ Ted's smile wavered slightly at the sound of the 'most noble last name'. ‘Good to meet you. I think it's my duty to now warn you about hurting my cousin, after all I _am_ the future man of the family.’ He winked at Andromeda, they had often joked about this same thing and she visibly relaxed.

‘Oh, against such a formidable opponent, how could I ever _dare _to hurt 'Dromeda?’ Ted bowed and Sirius chuckled. ‘I'll catch you later, yeah, luv?’ Ted kissed her again. ‘See you later Sirius.’

With that Ted left the two cousins looking at each other nervously, neither wanted to be the first to talk in case they said _too much_. In the end it was Sirius who broke the silence.

‘I'd never heard of the Tonks family,’ he said casually, wanting to confirm his suspicions. ‘Are they foreign?’

‘No, they're from Cornwall,’ she replied evenly, almost daring Sirius to comment further on Ted's family.

‘Right.’ Sirius narrowed his eyes. ‘Is he a mudblood then?’ Andromeda's reaction was instantaneous and for a second Sirius thought that she was going to slap him. She pulled him into an empty side street and admonished him.

‘Don't say that word ever again, Sirius.’

‘Well, is he?’

‘That is beyond the point.’

‘Is it though? Because to me it looks like you're seeing a mudblood--’ _Slap_. Sirius staggered back. Before he even had time to take in the fact that Andromeda had _actually slapped _him, his cousin already had her arms around him.

‘I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, please forgive me, Sirius.’ She kept this litany of apologies until Sirius stepped back from her embrace.

‘I don't understand. Everyone I've ever met uses that word.’

‘It's not a nice word, Sirius. Not out here. I shouldn't have slapped you, please forgive me.’

‘It's... fine, I don't think I've ever been slapped before.’ He brought his hand up to his reddening cheek and quirked an eyebrow. There was a moment of silence between them. ‘So is he...’

‘_Muggle-born_. Yes. He is.’ Sirius nodded, not sure of how to react in case it earned him another slap. ‘But you met him, is there anything wrong with him? He treats me right, he understands me, he's... Well he's wonderful and the fact that his parents are muggles is irrelevant. He's a good wizard.’

‘But your parents.’

‘Oh, Sirius don't be _that_ person. You likemuggle stuff, don't you? I bet you came here on the tube.’ Sirius blushed. ‘What would _your_ parents say if they found out?’

‘But it's different!’

‘Is it?’ Andromeda crossed her arms in front of her. ‘You like muggle stuff; you think they're ingenious and you like their music. I've seen you, remember? So, is there anything wrong with liking muggle stuff?’

‘I-I don't know, there must be, otherwise why would our parents forbid it?’ Even Sirius realised that this was a very lame argument, Andromeda didn't even have to say anything before Sirius conceded the point. ‘There's a difference though, isn't it? I mean, I'm not marrying the record...’

‘Well I'm not marrying Ted either. Not yet anyway...’ She bit her lip. ‘Is there anything wrong with _him_? Honestly, Sirius, did you like him? He's _funny _and he loves me. He really does. He helps me with Charms and he can fly as well as anyone...’

‘Is he in Slytherin?’

‘Hufflepuff.’ Sirius sniggered and Andromeda blushed. ‘Oh, shut it.’

‘No, I mean, it's fine, they're supposed to be loyal and just, right?’ He contained his laughter. ‘He's cool,’ he said after a moment of amused silence. ‘He _seems_ nice. When are you going to tell uncle Cygnus?’

‘Not soon. I want to break it to them gently.’

‘You'll fail but listen, I'm not saying anything. I don't know if you're doing the right thing here, it goes against everything I've been taught and... Well I don't get it anyway because you're _in love _and apparently that makes people kind of stupid sometimes.’ Andromeda rolled her eyes and was about to reply when Sirius continued, ‘but he seems cool and I can't deny that he obviously loves you back so... Well I suppose I approve.’

‘I don't--’

‘You clearly don't need anyone's approval, otherwise you'd be smooching Malfoy.’ Andromeda looked disgusted by the prospect. ‘Isn't he supposed to be handsome?’

‘Kreatcher is more handsome than he is.’ Sirius burst out laughing, he didn't particularly hate the Malfoys but he did think they were a bit too over the top.

‘Well... I... You're still my favourite cousin. I hope your parents take it well...’ It was obvious that both Sirius and Andromeda thought it impossible but it was still a nice wish.

‘Let's go get your wand. It's the last thing and you can floo home from Ollivanders.’

‘Are you going to meet Ted and that's why you want me to get off your back.’

‘Yes.’ Sirius smiled and together they went into Ollivanders where Sirius got his first wand (Aspen and Dragon heartstrings, 10 inches) and then flooed home, his mind reeling over what he had learned that day.

A week later he received by owl, one that mercifully found him in his room rather than at the breakfast table. It was a largeish package with a small warning note that told him to open it alone. He locked his door and unwrapped the package: it was a portable cassette player, Sirius recognised it from the music store, taped to it was a very detailed hand-drawn manual, and the latest Rolling Stones tape. Another note fell to the floor:

_ Thank you. -T. T_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I've been planning this story for a while, if all goes well I'll be able to update every week.
> 
> My fiction writing muscles are a bit out of practice please tell me if you spot any mistakes (Brits welcome to britpick) and if you liked the chapter please leave a review.
> 
> See you next week!


	2. Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had been waiting for this day to come for ages. It won't go according to plan for some, for others it will be exactly as they had imagined it. The marauders' first year at Hogwarts begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanking time! I would like to thank the extraordinary Flo for sharing her writing with the rest of us. Reading her made me want to keep writing this one even though I thought I'd never finish or even publish it.
> 
> She is _extraordinary_, her fics are amazing, particularly those dealing with the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts. Her missing moments series is _incredible_, she makes me cry and laugh on a near daily basis. I seriously recommend you go and check out her stuff. Here's her [ tumblr ](https://floreatcastellumposts.tumblr.com/), the link to her [ ficlets ](floreatcastellumposts.tumblr.com/LinksToFiclets) (it doesn't work on mobile), and finally her [ AO3 ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloreatCastellum/pseuds/FloreatCastellum) page.
> 
> Thank you, Flo.

The first of September came swiftly and although Remus had had a long time to get used to the idea of going away to Hogwarts, the fact that his first full moon away from his parents would occur just three days after arriving in Hogwarts made the whole thing feel like a baptism of fire and increased his anxiety two-fold. Even his mother, who had sided with him after Dumbledore had left, was nervous and had told Remus that he could change his mind at any time and stay with them; it was only remembering the old headmaster's words that helped him retain his courage and still choose to go away.

On the morning of the first of September, Remus woke to find that the anxiety that had been building since he'd sent his owl to accept Dumbledore's offer was now threatening to bubble over. The unease in his stomach was coupled with the ache in his bones and the weariness that the approaching full moon brought and overall Remus felt as though he was about to fall seriously ill; this feeling didn't abandon him even as his mother helpfully went through his trunk to make sure he didn't forget anything, in fact, the feeling seemed to get worse the closer he got to leaving home. There were moments when the anxiety disappeared and was replaced by pure excitement; when he crossed the barrier onto Platform 9 3/4, for example, he could only feel wonderment but the feeling lasted only until he saw the scarlet steam engine that would _take him away_.

Hope and Lyall were taking everything quite well, even though both seemed to be ready to take Remus away at the first sign of hesitancy. Lyall was the most nervous of the two and attributed his wife's seeming calm to her ignorance of the way magical society worked, little did he know that Hope had corresponded with Dumbledore in the months after his visit and had gotten herself up to speed in how wizards thought of werewolves, the spells that would protect Remus and the protections that had been put in place to deter other students (she found the idea of the Whomping Willow hilariously clever). She had even corresponded with Madam Pomfrey to learn how she would care for Remus before and after the transformations so if Hope was less nervous than Lyall it was because she _knew_ that her child would be well looked-after.

The platform started to fill and Remus wished, for the first time since he'd been attacked, that his childhood had not been so solitary, everyone seemed to know each other and he had even seen some boys his age greeting each other happily. He felt more and more isolated as he looked around, his eyes fell upon a large group, everyone seemed to be related and everyone else greeted the oldest-looking members with reverence and bowed away after saying hello. Remus was struck with the idea that there were _classes_ within wizarding society and that even though he'd known about the wizarding world since he'd been a baby, _he _did not belong to the upper echelons.

As eleven o'clock neared Remus said goodbye to his parents. Little was actually said, his mother hugged him tightly and reminded him to trust Dumbledore and to especially trust himself. His father on the other hand reminded him that he could go back home whenever he wanted, then he hugged his only son tightly and said goodbye.

On the other side of the platform, the large family was also starting to say goodbye. Sirius had hoped to get the goodbyes over with quickly so that he could follow Andromeda and not have to spend the ride to Hogwarts with a complete stranger; however, it was not to be, his father had placed a hand on his shoulder and he tightened his hold whenever Sirius tried to move away. Sirius' cousins left; Andromeda shot him a pitying look before climbing onto the train.

‘I want you out of _those _clothes immediately, Sirius,’ his mother told him, eyeing his jeans and t-shirt with disgust. ‘There is no reason to look like a _muggle_ for a second longer than necessary.’ Sirius nodded dutifully even though he quite liked the jeans he was wearing.

‘Now son,’ started Mr Black as he looked down at his son. ‘You will behave in a manner appropriate to someone of our standing. You mustn't forget that _you_ are not like the rest of _them_, _you_ are the heir to our House.’ Sirius swallowed. ‘We expect nothing but excellence from you.’ The young Black gave what he hoped was an appropriately solemn nod.

‘Yes, father.’

‘Darling Lucius will take care of you. It will be good for you to be friends with a Head Boy, especially one who follows tradition and is a proper Slytherin. He will tell you who to befriend and who to avoid.’ Mrs Black's look hardened. ‘And you _will_ listen to him, I don't want you being seen with _undesirables: mudbloods_ and their filthy sympathisers.’ The way she spat the word 'mudblood' almost made Sirius recoil, remembering the sting of Andromeda's slap on his cheek. ‘_Toujours Pur_, Sirius,’ she intoned in perfect French. ‘Excellence always: be an example to Regulus.’

‘Yes, mother.’

As Sirius walked away from his parents, he thought back to the cassette player that he had skilfully hidden in his trunk. His parents would flay him if they knew about it and, as his thoughts bent towards Andromeda, he realised that there was no way that his cousin would be allowed to be happy (if indeed Ted was who made her happy), that despite Andromeda's best hopes and even if Ted proved himself to be a great wizard, the two of them would not be allowed to keep their relationship: Andromeda would be blasted off the Family Tree and Sirius would not be allowed to see her ever again. Maybe he could break that tradition, maybe not cutting off family members was a better way of remaining pure, maybe his parents were wrong about this even if the arguments they made sounded solid. All of this was going through his head when he walked into what he thought was an empty compartment, he was about to start changing when a voice stopped him.

‘Hullo!’ Sirius startled and turned to look at the source of the voice. It was a boy, looked to be about his age, his face was bright with a grin and his hair looked as though he'd been sticking his head out of the window. ‘James Potter,’ he said standing up and extending his hand to shake.

‘Sirius Black, pleasure.’ Sirius could not stop his brain from remarking that the name _Potter _was not in the _Pureblood Directory_ that his parents kept in the atrium, it occurred to him also that he was already breaking one of his mother's rules. He found that this little token of defiance eased some of the worries he had been struggling against since meeting Ted. ‘First year?’ He asked, forgetting about changing clothes and taking a seat next to James.

‘Yeah,’ James grinned again.

The train started moving, two people moved into their compartment: a clearly upset redheaded girl and a grubby looking boy. Neither pair paid the other any mind as they sat across each other until the conversation turned to which House they thought they'd belong to.

Peter groaned when he saw the redhead and the other boy walk into the compartment he'd been eyeing, he should have taken the seat as soon as he saw the Black boy enter, he would now have to find an empty seat in an otherwise full train. The search resulted in him stepping into a compartment solely populated by nervous-looking eleven-year-olds that didn't seem to know each other at all.

‘Hi,’ he ventured, gathering all the courage he possessed and imitating the tone his mother used with new clients. ‘Mind if I sit with you? I think everywhere else is full. I'm Peter.’ They all nodded and the only girl there scooted over to make space for him to sit. Still channelling his mother, Peter tried for conversation. ‘I dunno why but I didn't expect there to be so many of us, I mean, it makes sense but blimey...’

‘Well Hogwarts _is_ the best school in the world, right?’ Piped the wiry, black haired boy that sat across from Peter. ‘That's what the film said anyway...’

‘_Film_? What _film_?’ Asked the girl.

‘Didn't professor McGonagall show your parents the film? They just let you come? Just like that? My parents needed _a lot_ of convincing!’

‘You're muggle-born, right?’ Asked Peter. ‘What's your name?’

‘Uh... Yeah. I thought we all were. I'm Jason.’

‘How could we all be muggle-borns? Wizards _can _have children, you know? My _whole_ family has been to Hogwarts. I'm hoping to be in Ravenclaw, just like my mum,’ the girl said, pushing a lock of auburn hair out of her face. ‘I'm Amelia, by the way, Amelia Bones.’ Peter recognised the surname but didn't say anything: The Bones were an old, wealthy family. ‘How about you? Which house are you going to?’

‘_House_?’ Said Jason, looking bewildered. ‘What do you mean house? Aren't we all staying in a castle?’

The journey was significantly shortened by the conversation. Jason didn't know anything about the wizarding world and had a million questions for Peter and Amelia. The trio were joined by another boy shortly after the train started moving, his name was Stubby Boardman he was good at explaining things to Jason on account of his own mother being a muggle.

The train ride was smooth, the older kids ran around saying hello to their friends while the first years fought against the usual first-day-of-school nerves and the muggle-borns attempted to not look overly impressed by all the magic that was starting to surround them. When the old witch came along with her trolley full of candies and snacks, Peter and his friends bought one of each so that Jason could have a taste. 

Hours passed in chatter and excitement and as the train started winding down to pull into the station, the volume of said chatter and excitement went up exponentially. Remus, who had spent the journey with a group of perfectly amiable third years who neither asked too many questions nor ignored him completely, was among the last people to leave the train. The night was clear and the moon was out, and as soon as the rays hit Remus he felt the throb of anticipation for the approaching full moon in his bones, he paled slightly and his anxiety rose in his chest, his skin prickled and the weariness in his bones increased. Being surrounded by children made Remus' blood hot in his veins, violent thoughts flashed behind his eyelids and he felt nauseous: it was the first time he'd been exposed to children while the full moon approached, fear and bile rose in his throat and he stood frozen in the sea of children.

‘Firs' years follow me!’ The booming voice startled Remus and he managed to make his legs move. ‘This way, firs' years!’ He followed the voice, blindly making his way towards a massive, dark lake. ‘Four to a boat, let's go.’

Remus climbed onto an empty boat and was soon joined by a red-haired girl with beautiful green eyes who offered him a smile that Remus tried to return. A pale, raven-haired boy joined them and soon started chatting to the girl, explaining things to her while she looked around in astonishment. Remus didn't participate, nor did he greet the blonde girl who joined their boat soon afterwards, he was too busy fighting the small tremors that now shook him.

The boats pulled forward slowly, the Hogwarts Castle was growing larger and larger as they approached and Remus felt his anxiety mount with every passing second. This had definitely been a mistake, he couldn't do this, he was risking everyone in the castle, he couldn't do this without his parents. His heart was racing and he was starting to sweat and shake.

‘Heads down!’ Yelled Hagrid. The boats carried them through a curtain of ivy and then into a dark tunnel. As soon as the moon was hidden from view Remus felt better, he stopped shaking and his breathing got easier. He stepped off the boat and tried not to lag the group of first years despite his wobbly legs.

Lily was the polar opposite of Remus: she had enjoyed the boat ride and was now trotting up the steps just behind Hagrid. Severus found it very funny but Lily couldn't stop pointing out little magical things. They were greeted by Professor McGonagall and as soon as they were inside the castle, Lily had to stop herself from giggling out of excitement. She listened attentively at what McGonagall said even though Severus had already told her most of it.

Despite trying to contain herself, Lily could not stop a gasp from escaping her when they walked into the Great Hall. Even Severus, who seemed to know everything, was impressed with it. It looked as though there was no ceiling and everyone was sitting out under the stars. Lily almost tripped when the group came to a stop: the sorting was about to begin. The room thundered with applause the moment the hat finished his song, Lily found herself laughing, she still could not believe that she was surrounded by so much magic.

‘Avery, Eastmund!’ Called McGonagall and a black-haired, tallish boy stepped forward. The hat had barely touched his head when it cried.

‘Slytherin!’

Sirius turned to look at the cheering table, Andromeda caught his eye and winked at him. Sirius knew he'd be next and suddenly his chest constricted. It wasn't exactly nerves that plagued his mind, it was something closer to fear and weariness. Suddenly, he didn't want to do this in front of everyone, he didn't know why, he had been told what to expect and yet, when his name was called it took a small nudge from James for him to start walking up the steps. He sat on the stool and placed the hat on his head. 

‘Black, eh?’ Said a small voice in his ear. ‘A history of Slytherins. You'd do well there if only you weren't so different from all the Blacks I've encountered before.’ Sirius stomach sank, _different_? ‘Oh, yes quite different... You will do amazing things, young Black, it's not easy going against blood and there are few who will be able to manage it... There's nothing for it: GRYFFINDOR!’ The hat shouted the last word and Sirius froze.

The Gryffindors were cheering and it was only Professor McGonagall's prompting that made him start to move towards the table. This wasn't real, this couldn't be real. He turned towards the Slytherin table; he could see Andromeda looking at him in disbelief while _darling Lucius_ looked at him as though he'd suddenly sprouted a second head. Dazed, Sirius took a seat, what would his parents say? He had only been joking in the train, he hadn't _really_ wanted to break the tradition... He tried to get a hold of himself, barely paying attention to the sorting. One by one more children were sorted, applause greeted but Sirius did not have the stomach to watch anyone take their place in the Slytherin table.

‘Evans, Lily!’

Lily stepped forward excitedly, Professor McGonagall dropped the hat on her head and half a second later it cried ‘_Gryffindor_!’ With a grin, she handed the hat back to the professor and made her way to the Gryffindor table with a skip on her step. She looked back at Severus with a small smile. Sirius, still dazed, moved up to make room for her but she turned her back and sat on the other side of the table next to an older, red-haired girl who introduced herself as Patricia Rakepick.

Half of the first years had already been sorted and Remus stood a little apart from the group. The initial marvel at being inside Hogwarts had worn off and the dread was now returning with force, when his name was called, Remus made his way to the stool with shaky legs. McGonagall offered him a small smile and Remus wondered if she knew.

‘Well this is a first,’ the hat whispered when it was dropped on his head. ‘A _werewolf_, where to put you? I see you've a good mind, a stout heart... Well... It better be _Gryffindor_!’ Remus let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding and made his way to the table, sitting next to the redhead that had smiled at him on the boat.

The group of first years was thinning, Abby Mellenby was sorted into Gryffindor, Dorcas Meadowes was also sorted into Gryffindor after a short deliberation. Two more Slytherins were sorted, a Hufflepuff, three Ravenclaws in a row. Finally, Peter's turn came, James seemed close to exploding with excitement and had been unable to suppress a small groan when he realised that _more_ people needed to be sorted before it was his turn.

‘Well, well... This _is_ difficult... Where to put you now...’ Peter felt his confidence leave him all at once. ‘Not entirely without talent, not quite cunning but thirsty for something _more_. Willing to make sacrifices, courageous, no doubt. You've known hard work in your life, you know want...’ The hat hummed. ‘I haven't had a challenge like you in the longest time...’ A minute ticked by with the hat whispering in Peter's ear, the boy was aware that the students were starting to whisper amongst themselves. He would have closed his eyes if he hadn't thought it looked cowardly. ‘There, you see? You seek acceptance, you do not wish to be shunned and yet... There is something _else_.’ He wished that the hat would choose already, even if it resulted with him being kicked out of school, anything was better than to be stuck there in view of everyone. The word _hatstall_ started to be whispered among the oldest students and everyone was looking at Peter with mounting curiosity with every second that passed. There were moments where the hat was completely silent which in many ways was worse than listening to him mutter into his ear. ‘_Very difficult_. What will you do? What will you become, it's all here... Slytherin would do you some good, it would help you... No... You would struggle, you don't _fit_.’ Peter wanted to disappear, he felt a pang of disappointment in his belly, his father had told him that Slytherin wouldn't be a bad result and now the hat had discarded it. He was seconds away from standing up and running away when the hat finally cried. ‘GRYFFINDOR!’ Relieved, Peter gave the hat back and hurried out of the spotlight.

James watched with mounting anxiety, he wanted to get up there as soon as possible and the fact that the hat was taking such a long time to sort Peter seemed to him a personal offence. As time passed, he started to feel sorry for the boy. He watched the boy finally get off and he was sure it was his turn but his hopes were dashed when Evan Pincer was called, he groaned but luckily the boy was quickly sorted into Ravenclaw and his name was called.

‘Well, this is easy. GRYFFINDOR!’ James almost thanked the hat and rushed to sit next to Sirius who by now had regained his senses.

A boy named Evan Rossier was sorted into Slytherin and Lily was looking on excitedly as Severus made his way to the front. _Slytherin_. Lily's face fell, she had neglected to ask Severus what happened when friends were sorted into different houses, would they still be able to see each other?

Everyone had now been sorted and after a few words from the Headmaster (_burlap_, _toad spawn_ and _weekend_) the feast started. As soon as Sirius had his first taste of pumpkin juice he started to relax, he still had no clear plan about what to do or how to explain this to his parents but between the food and James excitedly talking about trying to find the kitchens, he was able to postpone having to deal with the whole thing. Meanwhile Remus chatted to Lily, he was subdued, the nausea didn't really let him enjoy the feast and he was happy to let Lily speak and ask questions of the older students.

When the last of the food had disappeared from the plates, Dumbledore stood up again to address everyone. Remus noticed that he looked much more imposing than he'd looked in his living room, the old headmaster radiated power and authority and yet he smiled kindly at his students.

‘Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Now that you have all been fed and watered, I want to make a few announcements before sending you off to bed.’ He waited for the last students to settle down and then continued, ‘as with every year I want to inform all the new students, and remind some of the old ones, that the forest is strictly prohibited to every student. Mr Filch has been kind enough to update the list of forbidden items and it may be viewed in his office.’ He nodded at the caretaker. ‘Some of you will become aware of a new addition to the flora of the castle, a Whomping Willow has been planted on the grounds to support Professor Sprout's research into that marvellous species.’ Some students gasped and looked incredulously at each other. ‘I ask that you do not go near it, nothing good will come out of attempting to stand your ground against our fully-grown willow.’ He waited for the information to sink in and then continued. ‘As usual, quidditch trials will begin on the second week, those interested should speak to your respective captains. That is all, good night!’

Dozens of conversations started at once, most were wondering about the Whomping Willow, some others were talking about the rare event that was witnessing a hatstall, yet the prefects' voices rose above the noise to call for all first years to follow them. Sirius had been one of the first to stand, cutting off James in the middle of a sentence to go find his cousin; feeling a little put out, James stood up after him, his curiosity getting the better of him. Sirius spotted Andromeda and made his way towards her with James in tow.

‘What a way to make a statement. _Gryffindor_. Subtle, Sirius,’ she said as way of greeting.

‘You're one to talk… I didn't choose this, right? I couldn't have prevented it, surely, they'll see that, right? I didn't _really_ have a choice.’

‘I don't know, Sirius. You're the first non-Slytherin in centuries. You can't expect them to take it lightly, not when it's _you_.’ Slowly the Great Hall was starting to empty. ‘It might not have been so bad if you'd gone to Ravenclaw but _Gryffindor_...’

‘What's wrong with Gryffindor?’ Piped up James, making Andromeda notice him for the first time.

‘Oh, nothing, it's just considered to be the exact opposite of Slytherin and our entire family was betting on Sirius following the family tradition.’ Sirius had told James that his family was near-fanatical about Slytherin but surely it couldn't be that bad: a look at Sirius' pale face told him that it probably _was_.

‘What do you think they'll do to me?’

‘I can't help you there. I've no idea and believe me, I've been trying figure out the worst-case scenario since last year. Malfoy is probably writing home right now so I'd get ready for a thrashing at the very least. I don't think this is bad enough to get you burnt off the family tree but I'd be careful not to piss them off further.’

‘I couldn't help it!’

‘They'll think you could have and anyway, you're bound to get in trouble.’

‘Am I now?’ Sirius clenched his jaw and crossed his arms. ‘I'm _bound _to get in trouble.’ Andromeda smiled softly.

‘Of course, you are. For starters curfew is approaching and your Gryffindor friends have all left.’ Neither James nor Sirius had noticed the Hall emptying so quickly. ‘And no, before you ask, I've no idea how to get to the Gryffindor common room.’

James and Sirius were hurrying down an empty corridor, having left Andromeda trying not to laugh at their predicament. Sirius was following James who knew that the common room was in one of the towers but they didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

‘What was the point of that, huh?’ asked James a little out of breath.

‘You didn't have to follow me, you know?’

‘You'd still be lost. At least now we can both look forward to our parents being pissed…’ James thought of how his dad would take the fact that he was _already _in trouble despite it being his first night away from home. James stopped and uselessly tried to get his bearings. ‘This is stupid, I've no idea where we are...’

‘Or which tower we're trying to find,’ added Sirius grumpily. ‘Let's go back, try to find a teacher and take whatever punishment we get.’

They got even more lost when they tried going back, at least one staircase had changed places and the boys had obviously taken a wrong turn because they had gone too far below the castle and were now standing in one of the dungeons. Both boys kept a brave face on but they both longed for a warm bed

‘Well I guess we'll just have to stay here until they find us or we die of starvation,’ said Sirius cheerily when they hit a dead end.

‘We could try finding the kitchens! That way we wouldn't starve.’

‘James, mate, if we had any talent for finding stuff in this castle we wouldn't be in this mess.’ James was about to reply when a dim, silvery light appeared at the end of the hall. Sirius pulled out his wand and James chuckled.

‘What are you going to do? Poke it in the eye?’ James strained to see what it was, the light was going towards them and soon James realised what it was. ‘It's Sir Nicholas!’

‘Who?’

‘The ghost of Gryffindor, moron…’ The ghost had now come close enough to see the two boys and greeted them cheerily.

‘First years! What in heaven are you doing down here?’

‘We're lost,’ replied Sirius, pocketing his wand. ‘Can you help us get to Gryffindor tower?’

‘I don't know if that's appropriate… You could be spies.’

‘Lost spies, very, very lost spies who just want to get to bed,’ James said with a grin. ‘My dad told me we could always rely on Sir Nicholas if we needed help. He said he was the best of the ghosts and the one most likely to lend a hand to those in need.’ For a moment James thought he had laid it on too thick and that the ghost would simply take them to a teacher but in the end, it had the desired effect on the old ghost.

‘Well… Yes, I suppose. Yes. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington always lends a hand. Your father is _quite right_, Mister?’

‘Potter,’ replied James cheerily.

‘Ah, yes, it does ring a bell.’ Sirius was glad when the ghost failed to ask for _his_ name. ‘I do help students, especially young Gryffindors such as yourselves. You're lucky _I_ found you. Filch is prowling not far from here.’

‘We are _very_ grateful, Sir Nicholas.’

‘Sir Nick is fine, dear boy.’

The ghost talked all the way to the tower, he took them through a hidden passageway that brought them close to the Great Hall and even stopped a few times to show them the markings on the moving stairs, pointing out that through them one could find out where they led or when they moved. He also pointed out a few static reference points that would help them navigate the school better, he even warned them of the vanishing step. Finally, they came face to face with the portrait of the Fat Lady.

‘Password?’

‘Alas, I can't help here chaps… I never bother learning the passwords.’ All hopes of seeing a bed that night were dashed. ‘We'll just have to hope someone comes--’ The portrait swung open and one of the prefects came through.

‘There you are! We thought you might have fallen through a vanishing cabinet! I'm Laura, prefect.’ She noticed Sir Nicholas and smiled. ‘Thank you so much for bringing them, Sir Nick, I thought we'd lost them… And on their first day!’

‘No problem, dear girl. I'll go on now, do say hello to your father Mr Potter.’ James and Sirius waved goodbye and followed Laura through the portrait hole.

‘Why didn't you follow us?’ Both boys were preparing for a colossal telling-off but Laura's tone was kind. Sirius looked uncomfortably at James.

‘We were trying to find the kitchens,’ offered James. ‘We failed and ended up in one of the dungeons.’

‘Serves you right. Troublemakers...’ She sighed. ‘Well, I need to find Callum to tell him that we found you. I hope this will discourage any further exploring, at least until you get the hang of the Castle.’ James nodded, putting on his face 'repenting child' face. ‘Good. I'll see you both tomorrow, we're taking the first years to the Great Hall. Your dormitories are up that staircase.’

‘We didn't mean to be any trouble,’ said Sirius. ‘Thank you.’

‘Good night.’ With that Laura climbed back out of the portrait.

‘That wasn't so bad,’ said James as they climbed the stairs. ‘We both got off.’

‘Well you did anyway,’ Sirius muttered as he pushed the door marked 'First Year' open. ‘I'm still not out of the woods.’

‘Hello!’ James and Sirius turned to look at the room and found their roommates sitting on their respective beds. ‘I'm Peter. This is Remus.’

‘James,’ he pointed at himself. ‘Sirius. Pleasure.’

‘So, they found you,’ said Remus.

‘Well… A ghost found us,’ chuckled James.

Remus looked around him, taking in each of the boys and feeling his stomach flip. He was putting _them_ in danger, they didn't know what he was, what he could do. For the hundredth time since boarding the train Remus thought that this had been a terrible idea. What would they say if they found out they were sleeping next to a _werewolf_?

‘We were trying to find the kitchens.’ Sirius repeated James' lie because he really didn't fancy going into details about why they'd gotten lost. ‘We thought it would be nice to not have to stick to a particular eating schedule...’ James took the bed next to Peter's and Sirius the one that was left.

‘Didn't you have enough to eat?’ Asked Remus.

‘Well, yeah but I'm curious,’ offered James, opening his trunk to find his pyjamas. ‘Curiosity is supposed to be good… I've an _inquisitive_ mind.’ He grinned and Sirius sniggered. ‘Besides, it would be nice to know where they are in case we ever miss breakfast.’

‘I think I could help with that,’ said Peter. ‘Yes. I'm sure I can find out where the kitchens are.’ Sirius and James looked sceptically at Peter, the kid really didn't look like much.

‘Well I bet your inquisitive mind will land you in detention by the end of the month,’ said Sirius. James nearly squawked with indignation.

‘Well I bet you'll _both_ be in detention,’ said Remus quietly.

‘Sorry?’ Sirius turned to look at him with a quirked eyebrow.

‘Well, it wasn't just James who got lost, was it? You were right there with him which either means that James convinced you to go or you too have an _inquisitive _mind.’ Remus shrugged. ‘Either way, you'll probably both end up in detention.’ He smiled, looking at both knowing that whatever they did they would never be in more danger than in their own dormitory. ‘Anyway, we should go to bed. We're supposed to meet everyone downstairs for breakfast.’

Each got ready for bed, only James and Peter managed to drift off immediately. Sirius was lost in thought, the feeling of unreality was returning and he was incapable of imagining what would happen now that he'd let everyone down so massively, surely this was not enough to disown him, after all he was still a wizard and maybe he could convince them that Gryffindor wasn't as bad as Hufflepuff. He wanted to find Ted, he wasn't sure why but he had a feeling that somehow, he would know how to help him, especially since Andromeda had turned out to be of little help.

Remus on the other hand was fighting a losing battle with one of his pre-full moon migraines, it had started as soon as the room had gotten dark enough to let some moonlight in. His joints ached and his teeth were bothering him, it felt as though his gums were swollen. Besides, the little ball of anxiety that had been growing and deflating in his stomach was back with a vengeance and he couldn't help but feeling that he _shouldn't_ fall asleep lest he hurt one of his roommates, which was ridiculous since he had no history of sleepwalking or _attacking _anyone. He wished he'd brought something to help him sleep, perhaps he could convince the matron to give him something for it… It was two in the morning when finally, weariness won out and he was able to drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this, if you did leave a review. If you noticed any mistakes (really, any mistake, no matter how small) please let me know!
> 
> See you next week!


	3. Living Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First days of class are never easy, this one turns out to be a little harder for the boys.

Remus woke up very early just as he had planned, he wanted to get his roommates used to him not being there in the morning in order to stop them from questioning his disappearance after the full moon, he was still working out what he would do about not going back to the room at night but he supposed that could wait a little longer. He dashed for the showers and just five minutes later he was sitting on his bed, the curtains drawn around his bed, marvelling at the fact that his robes had changed to reflect the fact that he had been sorted into Gryffindor. He felt a little giddy, the worries that had plagued him the night before disappearing to make way for the warm excitement that had nestled in his stomach following Dumbledore's visit and offer to come to Hogwarts.

He considered waiting in the Common Room for everyone else but instead he chose to venture outside, maybe explore a little before breakfast. The Castle seemed deserted as he made his way through the corridors and stairways, the suits of armour creaked as they righted themselves and Remus watched with mild amusement as the portraits started to wake up, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

'It's not polite to stare!' A raggedy old witch admonished him with a squeaky voice.

'You're a portrait. Isn't being stared at sort of the point?'

'Rude! I tell you, kids these days, this place will go to the dogs with an attitude like that. Let me tell you, in my day—' Remus threw his hands up in a placating gesture.

'Alright, alright! Sorry. Good morning,' he said politely and backed away from the portrait.

Remus kept going down the stairs, thinking that the Great Hall would be on the ground floor; however, he soon found himself at the edge of a courtyard which, to him, didn't make any sense. He looked around and decided not to risk going back up the stairs in case he got lost again, soon he found himself walking towards the fields he had seen from the Common Room window, figuring that there was enough time to find his way back before breakfast was over. It was still early; the morning was cool and bright and his anxiety at not knowing where he was disappeared when he took his first lungful of fresh September air. He sat on the dewy grass, enjoying the morning sun and looking around at the vast grounds.

The sun began to climb, warming the walls of the Castle. Remus had been enjoying the calmness so much that he completely forgot that he was supposed to be in the Great Hall for breakfast. It was as though he were back home with a few hours to himself to enjoy an open field, his moon-related worries were easier to ignore in the morning sun and only the bubble of excitement remained.

‘'Ello.’ Remus startled onto his feet at the deep voice. The gigantic man who had led them to the Castle the night before chuckled lightly, Remus saw the corners of the man's eyes crease into a smile. ‘What're yeh doin' out 'ere so early?’ Remus swallowed, unsure if he had broken any rules.

‘I... Uh, I like mornings...uh, sir?’

‘Oh, no, no 'sir' for me. Makes me feel old. I'm Hagrid, the groundskeeper.’

‘Remus Lupin,’ he replied, awkwardly extending his hand for a handshake even though he was sure that Hagrid's little finger was about the same size as his whole hand. Hagrid shook his hand with a soft, surprised chuckle.

‘Welcome to Hogwarts!’

‘Er, thanks. Yeah.’

‘Breakfast will star' soon, yeh don' wan' ter miss it.’

‘Right, yeah. I knew that. Er...’ He looked around him, vaguely remembering which way he had come. ‘Er... Could you show me the way? I was supposed to wait for the prefects but it was too early and...’ He laughed nervously.

Hagrid accepted cheerfully and started towards the Castle; Remus had to jog to keep up with him. Soon Hagrid was telling him everything he knew about the grounds and the Castle, he talked of the Forbidden Forest and the centaurs, even of his ambition to own a dragon.

‘Fantastic creatures, dragons. Beautiful.’ Hagrid sighed and Remus smiled, Hagrid's excitement reminded him a little of his dad’s manic energy when he was working on a new project.

Remus looked around, completely disoriented, he tried to find the courtyard from before but couldn't, everything around him was new and when he found himself looking into the Great Hall, he stopped dead on his tracks. ’I didn't think I'd gone that far...’

‘Yeah, the size of this place is deceptive. Yeh'll get used ter it.’

‘Will I?’

‘In no time at all.’

Hagrid said goodbye at the door of the Great Hall but Remus was distracted by how beautiful the hall was. His nerves from the night before had kept him from admiring the place in full but now he took it all in, the excitement returned and he almost started laughing out of pure delight. He was in Hogwarts, he never thought he'd be there and now...

‘Oi! You're blocking the way.’

‘Sorry.’ Remus moved towards the Gryffindor table, noticing that everyone was sat with their friends and thinking that next time he'd go straight to breakfast to avoid the crowd. He was taking a seat when someone called his name.

‘I saved you a seat!’ Said James, pointing at an empty space on the bench. Refusing would have been rude and even though Remus was trying to avoid becoming too friendly with his roommates he felt forced to accept with a smile.

‘Thanks.’

‘So, did you get lost?’ Asked Sirius. He looked like he had been dragged out of bed by force, his hair was almost as messy as James' and he looked quite miserable.

‘No. I didn't.

‘I have your timetable.’ James handed it to him. ‘We've Charms first. It's going to be a pain finding the classroom...’

Remus smiled politely and started filling his plate. Then the mail arrived and Sirius paled. James received about ten cards congratulating him on his sorting while Sirius looked nervously around, he paled further and his shoulders dropped when a black-banded owl landed in front of him.

‘A howler.’ He thought about not opening it, he didn't want to know what his mother and father had to say about his failure to be sorted in Slytherin.

‘Oh. They _are_ angry. I thought you'd been exaggerating,’ said James, wincing as the letter started to smoke.

‘I was downplaying it.’ Sirius grabbed the letter and ran out, not wanting to be humiliated in front of everyone but also hoping to avoid giving either Malfoy, Andromeda or Narcissa the satisfaction of watching him be chastised. He didn't want to open it so he just stuffed it into a suit of armour and waited for the screaming. He was able to pick out very few things before the noise stopped. 'Disgrace' was one of them, but he figured that was the mild stuff.

‘Hey, Sirius! You alright?’ It was Ted, just coming out of the Great Hall, and Sirius' lip almost trembled. ‘What happened.’

‘Gryffindor. My mum sent a howler.’ Ted winced.

‘Oh... It's the Slytherin, thing, isn't it? I thought 'Dromeda was exaggerating all that.’

‘She really isn't.’ He took a deep breath. ‘What am I going to do? I was supposed to go to Slytherin. The hat said I was _different_ but... I don't really want to be.’ Ted shrugged.

‘Listen, I grew up thinking the world was one way and then I turned out to be a wizard and came here. Things change and none of us are who we think we are, we just do our best to remain loyal to whatever idea of ourselves we find more appealing.’ Sirius looked confused and Ted chuckled. ‘You are different, according to 'Dromeda everyone else in your family would have told on her.’

‘Yeah. But it's not like I'm _that _different. I mean, I'm supposed to be the heir to the Black family, I'm supposed to be the best example of everything my family stands for.’

‘And I'm supposed to be a winger on the Penwith college rugger team or something like that.’ Ted shrugged.

‘A _what_?’

‘Winger. Rugby, a muggle sport. The point is that it doesn't matter what you're _supposed_ to be, you should focus on being whatever you think you already are.’

‘I thought I was a Black through and through.’

‘No, you didn't. You like Rock n' Roll and taking the tube.’ Sirius blushed.

‘Thanks for the tape, by the way. I loved it.’

‘I know you did. You'll be fine. Your parents just need time to adjust.’ Ted put his hand on Sirius' shoulder and smiled. ‘I need to go. See you around.’ Sirius managed a smile and went back inside, shoulders slumped and eyes down. He looked at James when he sat down.

‘I am a disgrace. Or something like that. Thought you should know before you continue your association with me.’

‘Mate... Don't say that. You're not _that_ bad. I'm sure we'll get used to you.’ It was a poor attempt at humour but Sirius appreciated it anyway and it even got a soft chuckle out of Remus.

By the end of breakfast, Sirius looked slightly less miserable though his shoulders were still slumped, Remus, on the other hand, was far more conflicted than he had been in the morning. He thought that by keeping his distance, he would be able to also keep his secret but James was a hard boy to dislike, it was hard not to laugh at his impression of Sirius' face when he saw the letter (though he didn't understand what was going on there), and it was hard to keep him at arm's length while they all walked towards their first charms lesson. He would be _living_ with these boys 24/7, how he was supposed to keep his secret was beyond him.

Professor Flitwick welcomed the first years warmly, James could hardly contain his excitement and pulled out his wand hopefully; however, it soon became clear that they had quite a bit to learn before any wand waving occurred. Professor Flitwick launched into a complex explanation of Magical Theory that had everyone with their heads down taking notes. James got the hang of it quite quickly and was eager to start swishing and flicking when the Professor started explaining how the wrong wand movement could result in the spell backfiring or worse. By the end of the lesson they were tasked with reading the first chapter of their Magical Theory textbook and memorising the spell they would learn the following week.

‘_That_ was anticlimactic,’ said Sirius as they left the room.

‘Possibly the most boring thing I've ever done,’ nodded James.

‘It wasn't that bad. Knowing the theory behind a spell should make actually casting the spell easier. I didn't know all that stuff about residual energy and spells having limited range.’ They all turned to look at Peter who now regretted opening his mouth. ‘What? It was interesting.’

‘Well you'll love the next lesson then,’ said Sirius mockingly. ‘_History of Magic_. Everyone agrees _that's _the most boring lesson in Hogwarts.’

It was. By the end of the lesson nearly everyone was nodding off, only Mary Macdonald and Lilly seemed wide awake and still taking notes. Professor Binns had barely registered their arrival and only bothered to introduce himself and his lesson when Mary mentioned that they were first years and had no reason to know about the Goblin Rebellion of 1612. Even Remus, who prided himself in being quite good at sitting still and paying attention, had stopped taking notes twenty minutes into the lesson.

‘Merlin's beard! That was bad... Please tell me we never get double periods of this.’ James yawned, not bothering to hide his disappointment at his first two lessons.

‘We don't.’

‘Thank Bertie Bott, I don't think I could take it, Sirius.’

‘You're being melodramatic, it wasn't that bad.’ It was Dorcas who spoke and when James turned to look his ears went red.

‘Oh! Hi Dorcas.’ James smiled, trying to look unruffled. ‘This is Sirius.’ But Sirius wasn't paying attention, he had just spotted Andromeda across the courtyard and without saying anything he went after her. ‘Sorry, he does that. He's a bit preoccupied.’

‘I can imagine...’ Dorcas sighed and James wondered if she knew something he didn't. ‘Anyway! Lunch?’

James sat with Dorcas and Peter, soon the three of them were engrossed in a discussion about whether Puddlemore United stood a chance against the Hollyhead Harpies that season, James was of the opinion that _yes they do, thank you very much_ while both Dorcas and Peter found the idea laughable. As their lunch hour ended, James started to look around for Sirius, he had said he was going for lunch but he was nowhere to be found and James worried that perhaps he should have been more sensitive about his predicament, it wasn't until they were halfway to the Transfiguration lesson that Sirius reappeared looking glum.

‘Hey, are you alright?’ Asked James, grabbing Sirius by the arm.

‘Fine.’ James opened his mouth to speak but Sirius shook his head. ‘I don't want to talk about it.’ 

The first hour of their Transfiguration lesson was spent trying to understand the theory behind a particular branch of transfiguration. McGonagall made it sound simple, they were transfiguring inanimate objects and this was easier than dealing with living things but the theory behind the laws of transfiguration was muddy at best.

‘Mr Black.’ Sirius sat straighter, he had been spacing out and it was obvious that McGonagall had noticed. ‘You clearly understand this perfectly, I suppose I'm boring you because you already know why an inanimate object cannot be permanently transformed into an animal or person.’ Sirius glanced at the board, then at his notes, then at McGonagall who pursed her lips.

‘Well... It's in the name isn't it? You need to animate it.’ If McGonagall was impressed, she didn't show it, in fact she gestured at him to continue. ‘It's an exception to Gimp's,’ he looked at his notes, ‘no, sorry, Gamp's Law. You can't just make life out of... er... not life?’ James fought the urge to giggle.

‘Five points to Gryffindor, for a good enough explanation. Now, if you would pay attention you will find out why you got five points instead of ten.’ Sirius nodded and grabbed his quill. ‘Good, now, as Mr Black so eloquently put it, you cannot transfigure essential features, an _anima _or soul being one of them.’ She waved her wand and a few notes appeared on the chalkboard; the entire class dutifully started copying them down. ‘What Mr Black failed to recognise is that, while one cannot _animate_ it, one can —temporarily— give life.’ With a wave of her wand she turned her desk into a pig and then, with another flourish, she returned it to its original shape. ‘Only temporarily, mind. Most transfigurative spells wear out and if I were to slaughter that pig, I would end up with a broken desk.’

Once everyone had finished copying down the notes, McGonagall gave out matchsticks for everyone and showed them the correct wand movement and spell to turn them into a needle. Soon the class was filled with dissonant voices and the swish of many wands. James managed to light three matches on fire before crying out in excitement.

‘Look! It's silver! The red head is not fully gone but it's silver. Professor, look!’ This time McGonagall did look impressed.

‘Well done, Mr Potter. Ten points.’ James looked smugly at Sirius who just rolled his eyes. ‘Next class I want at least a foot on the theoretical background of this spell and I expect everyone to get at least as far as Mr Potter managed.’

Later the Common Room was filled with students, some fooling around, some trying to get some of their homework done. James, Sirius and Peter were sitting in a corner, their Transfiguration and Magical Theory textbooks open in front of them; however, neither of them was paying any attention. Peter was red-faced and wheezing with laughter at Sirius' impression of James while James himself looked indignant and flushed.

‘Oooh, look Professor! It's gone silver!’ Sirius said in a high-pitch voice, filled with pretend excitement.

‘I don't sound like that!’

‘Ooooh, look, Professor, I can make boot-licking look like talent.’ James squawked indignantly.

‘I wasn't licking McGonagall's boots! You're just jealous because you couldn't crack it!’

‘Please... I could have done it too; I just needed a bit more time.’

‘Oh... er... Professor, can I get another matchstick I've burnt them all.’ James put on a ridiculous voice.

‘No, that really doesn't sound like Sirius at all,’ Peter said, face growing serious as Sirius smirked at James. ‘You need to make him sound more confused and a little spaced out.’ James burst out laughing and it was Sirius' turn to look indignant.

‘Shut up... I was just distracted.’

‘Sure you were,’ piped up James, getting his laughter under control. ‘You're the most talented wizard in the whole school, we just haven't noticed because you've been _distracted_.’

‘Shut up, Potter.’

‘I could tutor you, you know?’ He said with a sweet voice and a playful grin. ‘If you can't manage even the _most basic _trans—’ He was interrupted by a sofa pillow hitting him on the face.

‘I'll probably get it next time. I'll even get further than you did.’

‘Two Galleons say you won't.’

‘Deal.’ Sirius and James shook on it. ‘What about you, Peter? Want to bring down Mr Talent here a couple of pegs?’

‘Err... No. I think I _will_ take that tutoring though,’ he said, looking pleadingly.

‘Count on it, Peter.’

‘Ohh... I'm James Potter, I'm _so_ talented and _good_ I'll tutor people on my free time.’ This time the pillow hit Sirius in the face. ‘Alright, alright.’ He put his hands up.

The three of them got back to work on their Transfiguration essay, Peter would sometimes ask shyly about some theoretical aspect and James would do his best to explain it simply but, since he wasn't clear on most things either he usually failed and, much to Sirius' amusement, Peter looked a lot more confused after one of James' explanations. As it got later, the students in the common room began to settle down, the quieter it got though, the more restless did Sirius become; he started fidgeting, changing positions often and struggling to concentrate, finally he groaned and slammed his book shut.

‘I can't do this anymore,’ he said. ‘I'm bored. Let's go out.’

James rolled his eyes. ‘Out where? We don't know our way around yet.’

‘I thought you wanted to find the kitchens.’ Peter perked up at this.

‘Yes, but it's too near curfew to risk us getting lost. I really don't fancy getting in trouble.’ Peter opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything Sirius relented.

‘Fine. But I'm not good at sitting still.’

‘Noticed,’ cut in James.

‘Shut up.’ Sirius sighed, looking at his books like they had personally offended him. ‘I've an idea. But you can't tell anyone, I don't know if it's allowed.’ James perked up at this.

‘Go on.’

‘Have you heard of _The Rolling Stones_?’ He whispered.

‘The what?’ Asked Peter, leaning in.

‘Rolling Stones. They're a muggle band.’ Sirius blushed. ‘But they're _really good. _Better than anything on the radio right now.’

‘Better than the Horntail Hunters?’ Asked James sceptically. Sirius looked at him as though he had said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

‘Miles better.’ Sirius smiled mischievously. ‘I've a tape in my room. We can go up, do our homework in our room if you insist but at least we can listen to them while we work. It'll be more fun.’

‘Alright then.’ James packed up his things swiftly. ‘Come on, Peter. Let's go listen to some muggle music.’

‘Keep your voice down,’ hissed Sirius. ‘I don't know if we're allowed to have muggle stuff.’

Their room had been cleaned while they were gone, they hadn't had much time to make a mess but Peter noticed that his dirty clothes were gone and his shoes had been neatly arranged under the bed. James pulled off his cloak and threw it on the bed while Sirius excitedly threw open his trunk and pulled out a very old-looking book, the title was unreadable and the pages looked frayed. James cocked an eyebrow when Sirius looked guilty.

‘My parents don't really like muggle stuff.’ He opened the book and revelled in Peter's small gasp when they saw it was hollow. Nestled there was Sirius' tape player: his most prized possession.

‘What's that?’

‘This, darling Peter, is a portable tape player.’ Sirius smirked. ‘It's a bit like a radio but you can play whatever music you want if you've the right tape.’ He emphasised the last word by pulling out the tape that Ted had given him.

‘Ingenious,’ said James.

‘Aren't they?’ Sirius carefully pulled out the cassette and slid it in place. ‘You'll really like this. I'm sure.’ He pressed the power button and the play button, there was a click and the tape started moving, the first two chords sounded clearly, then distorted and with a screech the tape started unspooling. ‘No!’ Desperately, Sirius shut it down but it was clear that the tape was ruined. He looked disconsolate.

‘You can't use muggle stuff at Hogwarts.’ Remus was standing by the door. ‘All the magic makes it go haywire.’ Remus' words hung in the air, nobody dared speak and Sirius kept looking from the tape player up to Remus, as if hoping that the other boy would be able to help.

‘But why? We've got radios and so do the muggles,’ James said bending down to pick up the tape player. ‘This looks a lot like a magic radio.’

‘Yeah, but magical radios are adapted specially. They don't need electricity to work, muggle radios do.’ Remus dropped his bag on his bed and went to join the others by Sirius' bed.

‘Electricity?’ Asked Sirius, voice hoarse.

‘Yeah.’ Remus took the tape player from James' hands and cracked open the back, making everyone wince and Sirius give a choked cry. ‘Relax. It's supposed to do that, see? Those are batteries, they power the tape player.’ He showed it to Sirius who looked confused.

‘How do you know all that?’

‘My mum is a muggle.’ He shrugged. ‘We have one of these at home, it would have stopped working eventually because you need to replace the batteries once in a while.’ He replaced the back panel and gave it back to Sirius.

‘Couldn't we just adapt this one?’ Offered Peter. ‘You said the magical radios were adapted.’

‘Maybe but I don't know how you'd go about doing that and I doubt they teach something like that here.’

‘And even if I could, the tapes wouldn't work. They're muggle too,’ Sirius murmured, placing the tape player back into its hiding place carefully, keeping his head down so that nobody would see that his eyes were wet.

‘No. I think the tapes would be alright, they don't need electricity.’ Sirius blinked a couple of times and looked up hopefully. ‘They are a bit like a roll of film only instead of images, they record sound. You only need electricity for the player to be able to read the music. At least that's how my mum explained it.

‘Right! So, all we need is to replace the electricity bits with magical bits from a magical radio and it should work.’ James grinned, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. ‘That or charm the electricity bits to make them magical.’

‘Right, piece of cake,’ Sirius said sarcastically.

‘Cheer up, I'm sure we could find a way. We need to know how both magical and muggle radios work and then... I don't know. But the next step should become clear once we know what we're working with.’

‘Right. Of course, and where do you think we can find that information?’ Sirius snapped, slamming the lid of his trunk.

‘No need to bite my head off, mate. I'm just trying to help.’ James backed off.

‘Well, you're not.’ Sirius didn't look up to see James leaving the room in a huff, slamming the door on his way out and making the others jump slightly. Without another word, Sirius went into the bathrooms wishing he was back home so he could sulk in peace.

‘Have you finished the transfiguration essay?’ Asked Peter after a moment of complete silence.

‘Er... No.’ Remus had spent the afternoon in the library, thinking that the dark and quiet would help the headache he had been nursing since lunch. ‘I haven't even started it.’ 

‘How about the Charms one?’

‘I haven't done anything.’ Remus rubbed his eyes, his head pounding.

‘Are you okay?’.

Remus nodded. ‘Listen, I need to talk to McGonagall. See you later.’

It was dark when James returned to the room, Remus was nowhere to be found and the curtains around Sirius' bed were shut. James huffed and got changed, he had hoped that Sirius would apologise but it was clear that the other boy didn't want to talk. He wasn't used to sharing a room, he wasn't used to being around so many people and he _definitely_ wasn't used to the possibility that someone might _dislike_ him. He had spent all his life surrounded by adults who indulged him and older kids who treated him a lot like a younger sibling, the idea of someone being mean spirited towards him was completely alien. Perhaps the most difficult thing at Hogwarts wasn't the magic he was supposed to learn but rather navigating new people. James was still thinking when he heard Remus come in, he turned on his bed and stared out the window, looking at the grounds illuminated by the nearly full moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please leave a review if you liked it and if you found a mistake (or many) please point them out.
> 
> See you next week!


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